Ellie Mack Electrifies Bright Future with Oklahoma City Thunder

UPDATE: The Oklahoma City Thunder won their first NBA Title yesterday with a 103-91 victory in Game Seven over the Indiana Pacers.

Ellie Mack starred for the Bucknell women's basketball team from 2016-20 before spending her fifth year with Oregon State. The forward scored 1,058 career points (22nd all-time in Bison history), notched two Patriot League First Team nods (2019 & 2020), and won the 2020 Patriot League Player of the Year. A gifted scholar-athlete majored in Neuroscience, she earned four spots on the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll.

After her season with Oregon State, where she averaged 9.4 ppg and led the Beavers on a run to the WNIT Quarterfinals, Mack went pro and signed with Club Baloncesto Jairis in the Spanish-LF Endesa League. She appeared in ten games, scoring 3.2 ppg. Returning to the States, Mack worked a year (2023-24) at Penn as a Research Coordinator before landing her current role with the Oklahoma City Thunder as a Player Development Coaching Associate.

Mack's Thunder career started in September 2024, right before OKC's highly successful season commenced. The Thunder blitzed through the marathon season, compiling an NBA-best 68-14 record and face the Indiana Pacers tonight in a Game Seven winner-take-all NBA Finals matchup. Mack landed the role with, in her words, "Consistency, and a little bit of luck."

During her research position at UPenn, she began coaching and skill development work with younger players in the Philadelphia area. Since her hometown of Paoli is located within the greater Philadelphia area (Revolutionary War aficionados will recognize the town as the site of a severe American defeat in 1777), her name carried cred with the locals. Mack balanced a full-time position while providing 20 hours of tutoring. The experience opened her eyes to the possibility of coaching, persuading her to research practice design and skill acquisition. She found the Thunder position and was interviewed, leading to a job that combines coaching and data analysis.

Mack's duties in Player Development include spending half of her time with the G League affiliate the OKC Blue, collaborating with the coaching staff. The G League is not a backwater territory. At last reckoning, 54% of current NBA players have spent time in the G League. A healthy pipeline reinforces the mother team and provides additional development. The other half of Mack's time focuses on research, translating insights into on-court application. It is a multifaceted job, and for Mack, "It has been a perfect role for me, as it combines my basketball and research experience."

Analytics have established themselves in the professional ranks. Every franchise seeks new and innovative ways to find the slimmest advantages over its rivals. The modern NBA game has evolved into a system of three-point barrages and layups, in response to data showcasing the most efficient shot and strategy. Feelings and thoughts are romantically soothing and thrill the heart but data win games.

She works in a fast-paced world. The NBA landscape moves with the speed of a fast break, not a possession offense. A spectator can watch the game's speed but cannot fully grasp the pace until he or she is on the court. Mack remarked on the situation, "There are more moving parts at the NBA level. You hear about how analytically driven the league has become, but you don't fully appreciate the complexity until you're involved in the day-to-day workings of a coaching staff and front office."

Her tenure at Bucknell prepared Mack for those rigorous demands of the NBA world. The modern Division I student-athlete balances two jobs in academics and a playing career. For a Bison student-athlete, the academic challenges are even greater, and Mack, as a neuroscience major, climbed a proverbial Mount Everest of responsibilities. Like most difficulties in life, as disdainful as they can be in the present, they prepared her for future endeavors.

"At Bucknell, I learned that I could handle a lot. Playing Division I basketball while being a full-time student was by far the most physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding period of my life. That experience gave me real confidence heading into my professional career, as I knew what it felt like to be pushed to my limit and still show up every day."

Like most Bucknell graduates, Mack misses the University on the Susquehanna, especially the people. Bucknell has a special ability to attract and conjure the best out of folks. Mack was surrounded by incredible teammates and coaches. Her teammates have scattered after graduation, and while Mack is happy to see their success stories, she does wish they had more chances to reunite. Fortunately, modern communications allow for an easier method of retaining connections.

On March 4, Mack served as a panelist at the Oklahoma City Thunder Women in Business Summit, where she had the opportunity to network with professionals, share her expertise, and glean inspiration from a diverse set of attendees.

Mack's future goal does not exist in a specific outcome but in a general desire to keep building a deep, well-rounded knowledge base of basketball. She seeks to deepen a strong understanding of the game through the lenses of coaching, player development, and research. Her interest lies in how those areas intersect and how franchises can harness these traits to develop and support athletes. Mack's background in neuroscience provides the budding star with a unique insight into mental development. As Yogi Berra famously said about baseball, "90% is half mental and the other half is physical." The same concept applies to basketball. The finest shot, the slickest dribble, and the swiftest pass can all be negated by a dour mental skill set.

Mack provided a list of helpful advice for anyone interested in pursuing an NBA career:

"First, embrace what makes you different, as your unique perspective is a strength. Second, don't wait for someone to give you permission or the perfect opportunity to start. Take initiative, be resourceful, and let your curiosity lead you. Third, remember that growth isn't linear. Everyone's path looks different, so focus on what you can control."

The future for Mack is limitless. She contains the necessary ingredients of drive, intelligence, and flexibility to advance high in the NBA hierarchy. Her career tree is nourished and supported by Bucknell roots. Orange & Blue fans should keep a close eye on her future.

Ellie Mack Electrifies Bright Future with Oklahoma City Thunder

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